Tag: AWD
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Bait ‘n Switch Ad Still Yeilds Interesting Car
The headline of this ad reads “2003 Volkswagen Passat 4dr Wgn W8 4MOTION 6-spd Manual – $8999.” I clicked because genuine 6-speed W8 Wagons do exist, but a look at the images in this ad shows it has an automatic. Still, any W8 is an interesting piece, and the wagon is 47% cooler. These were…
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Rarity + AWD + Turbo. What’s not to love?
We’ve featured a couple of first generation Impulses here, but this is the first time we’ve shown a second gen car. The second gen donated many bits to the Geo Storm, but only the Impulse came in AWD, Turbo form. This car needs some cosmetic attention and the seller claims it has an intermittent starting…
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Rare and Complete with Battle Scars: Nissan Stanza 4WD Wagon
In the mid-to-late 80s, the three major Japanese automakers decided they needed small- to medium-sized wagons with 4WD, perhaps to compete with Subaru and Eagle. Or, maybe they knew AWD was coming on the Tempo/Topaz twins and that they wouldn’t add wagon variants. This was Nissan’s version, known as the Prairie in Japan and some…
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Isuzu Freakshow
The Isuzu Vehicross was an oddity from the get-go, but followed an interesting formula. The good part involved using the “big” 3.5L V6 from the Trooper into a shortened version of the platform. The odd part involved freaky styling. That styling has aged surprisingly well in that it still looks strange today, but doesn’t look…
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Early CVT
We usually bitch about anything without a clutch pedal here at Oddimotive, but this is an exception. Long before Carlos Ghosn knew what a Nissan was, and even before he worked at Renault, Subaru offered its humble Justy with ECVT transaxle and AWD. Unfortunately, we doubt the 1.2 liter three cylinder provides much fun when…
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Baja = Brat II?
What’s not to love about a Subaru Baja Turbo with a manual trans? Freakshow styling that yields limited utility? Check! Two-seater rear bench to removed expected practicality? Check! Detuned STI engine? Check! AWD? Check! It probably sounds like we’re making fun of this beast, but the fact is we love it. What could be more…
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Subaru GL10 Turbo AWD project
This rare beast was partially disassembled at one point and this is your opportunity to build it back up the way you want it. The only downside here is the automatic trans, so you might as well do the swap “while you’re in there.” Apparently, Subaru offered a pneumatic suspension, and this one has it.…
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Mazda’s 80s Rally Homologation-mobile
These days, US customers can choose between the WRX/STI and the Evo for Japanese rally-inspired street cars, but, for years, both were forbidden fruit on these shores. That doesn’t mean there were no choices, however, as we did get the Celica All-Trac Turbo, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and our feature car, the Mazda 323GTX. With 130…
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The beginning of the Subaru you know today
Here we have a 1979 Subaru DL wagon. While this wasn’t the beginning for Subaru in the US, most people know them as the AWD company and/or the wagon company, although we know there’s a WRX generation growing up now. This is where the 4WD and wago traditions started. Brown wheels are full of win.…
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Audi 200 Quattro 20V wagon
Audi practically disappeared from the US market after the ‘unintended acceleration’ debacle, which really just meant the pedals were closer together than yuppies thought they should be. That near-disappearance makes this 1991 Audi 200 rare to begin with. Add in the wagon body and manual transmission and you have something you may never see again.…